Re: Foreign Films that are MIA on DVD (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

There have been terrific DVD releases of foreign-language films in the past few years, most of them from Criterion, Anchor Bay and Kino, and even Columbia. But, with Fox Lorber gone, will we ever see THE PATHFINDER in widescreen? And between Criterion and Home Vision, might we look forward to ALLEGRO NON TROPPO; FIRES ON THE PLAIN and UGETSU? (Or, for that matter, two British classics released on laser by Criterion, 49th PARALLEL and IN WHICH WE SERVE). Then we have two Spanish films starring young Anna Torrent, CRIA and SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE. What about TREE OF THE WOODEN CLOGS and GATE OF HELL? God, this list could go on forever. Doubtless some of these titles will emerge, but I worry a few will get lost. Kurosawa gets great coverage on DVD, but Kineto Shindo (ONIBABA) or Masaki Kobayashi (SEPPUKU aka HARAKIRI) don't. THE MAD ADVENTURES OF RABBI JACOB gets DVD release in Canada, but not in the States. Personally, I can't get enough good/great foreign language films - to me they are far more interesting than the majority of their American counterparts, because they are willing to explore relationships in more depth, to hold the camera still for a while to let the performances blossom, to rely more on story than effects. This may be only recently changing, but I watch my 50's-80's DVD collection growing more rapidly with foreign titles than anything else.

 

[Rob P S]

Add Au revoir les enfants to the list.

 

[Juan M. Rico]

Add Carlos Saura's El Amor Brujo to the list. Or if anybody knows of any Region 0 DVD versions of this movie, please let me know.

J

 

[Brian PB]

These are my most-wanted foreign language titles, not currently available on Region 1 DVD (I have not included those which have been announced for later in 2003, or those readily available on Region 0 releases):

Chantal Akerman: Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975/New Yorker), News from Home (1977/?)

Tomás Gutiérrez Alea: Memories of Underdevelopment/Memorias del subdesarrollo (1968/New Yorker)

Theo Angelopoulos: Voyage to Cythera (1984/?)

Michaelangelo Antonioni: The Eclipse/L'éclisse (1962/Home Vision)—expected in 2004

Ingmar Bergman: Persona (1966/MGM/UA), Shame (1968/MGM/UA) [NOTE: These had been among 5 releases planned by MGM for November; it now appears that they have been postponed, with no new release date.]

Robert Bresson: Pickpocket (1959/New Yorker), A Man Escaped/Un Condamné à Mort s'est échappé (1957/New Yorker/2003 release?), Au Hasard Balthazar (1966/Home Vision), Diary of a Country Priest/Journal d'un curé de campagne (1950/Home Vision)—the latter two are expected in 2004

Luis Buñuel: Tristana (1970/Home Vision), Viridiana (1961/?), L'Age d'Or (1930/Kino)—expected in 2004

Marcel Carné: Le Jour se lève/Daybreak (1939/Home Vision)

Claude Chabrol: Les Cousins (1959/?)

Victor Erice: El Sur (1982/New Yorker), Quince Tree of the Sun/El Sol del membrillo (1992/Facets?), Spirit of the Beehive/El Espíritu de la colmena (1973/?)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980/?)

Hsaio-Hsien Hou: City of Sadness (1989/?), The Time to Live & the Time to Die (1985/?)

Kon Ichikawa: The Burmese Harp (1956/Home Vision),

Shohei Imamura: The Ballad of Narayama (1982/Home Vision), The Insect Woman (1963/?)

Aki Kaurismäki: Drifting Clouds (1996/?)

Abbas Kiarostami: Life & Nothing More/And Life Goes On (1991/Facets?)

Masaki Kobayashi: Harakiri (1962/?)

Akira Kurosawa: Ikiru/To Live (1952/Home Vision)—expected in 2004

Emir Kusturica: When Father Was Away on Business (1985/?), Underground (1995/New Yorker/2003 release?)

Erik Løchen: The Chasers/Jakten (1959/?)

Louis Malle: Au Revoir les enfants (1987/MGM/UA)

Kenji Mizoguchi: The Life of Oharu (1952/Home Vision), Sansho the Bailiff/Sansho Dayu (1954/Home Vision), Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939/Home Vision), Ugetsu (1954/Home Vision/expected 2004)

Mikio Naruse: Floating Clouds/Ukigumo (1955/?), Mother (1952/?)

Max Ophüls: The Earrings of Madame de … (1953/Home Vision?)

Nagisa Oshima: The Ceremony/Gishiki (1971/New Yorker)

Yasjiro Ozu: Autumn Afternoon (1962/?), Late Spring (1949/?), There Was a Father (1942/?)

Satyajit Ray: The Music Room (1958/?), Charulata (1964/?)

Jean Renoir: La Chienne/The Bitch (1931/?), The River (1951/Home Vision), A Day in the County/Une Partie de campagne (1937/?)

Jacques Rivette: Celine & Julie Go Boating/Céline et Julie vont en bateau (1974/New Yorker)

Aleksandr Sokurov: The Days of Eclipse (1988/?), The Stone (1992/?)

Béla Tarr: Satántángó (1994/?), Damnation (1988/?)

Luchino Visconti: The Leopard/Il Gattopardo (1963/Home Vision)—expected in 2004

Wim Wenders: Kings of the Road/Im Lauf der Zeit (1976/?)

Edward Yang: A Brighter Summer Day (1991/?)

Zhang Yimou: Raise the Red Lantern (1991/MGM/UA)

 

[richardWI]

And put Red Desert and Blow Up back in print. And Robbe-Grillet's films. And region 1 releases of Berman's latter movies.

If Fox Lober is gone, who controls their catalogue? We could use better versions of Breathless, Last Year at Marienbad..

 

[Brian PB]

Fox Lorber isn't gone, they've just changed names . . . TWICE.

Fox Lorber became WinStar, which became Wellspring, which is alive & well.

A new company Koch Lorber, though begun by one of the founders of Fox Lorber, is not affiliated with Wellspring. (Koch Lorber is the company that had announced plans to release Fellini's La Dolce vita in a 2-disc Special Edition this September, but that's looking doubtful.)

Clear as mud??

 

[Sean Campbell]

but Kineto Shindo (ONIBABA)

Onibaba is available as a region 2 import from Japan. It's an excellent widescreen print ( 16x9 enhanced ) and it features english subtitles. It has a commentary track which isn't subtitled, but it also includes at least 35 minutes worth of silent behind the scenes footage which is fascinating to watch. A great release if you're multi region capable.

 

[Marc Colella]

As mentioned above, I'm axiously awaiting the release of Persona and Blow Up... and will add the following Bergman's Fanny & Alexander and Kieslowski's The Double Life of Veronique.

Not too mention there are a boatload of foreign films that are poorly represented on DVD with regards to the transfer.
Many, many re-releases are needed.

 

[oscar_merkx]

so in one word many double dips then

 

[Bob Turnbull]

Don't want to make this thread a simple list of movies, but Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist should be in any discussion of this nature. It's been mentioned several times in other threads regarding films missing from DVD. I haven't seen this, but it would be a blind purchase without a doubt.

 

[ChrisBEA]

One movie I am desparately waiting for is Delicatessan by Jeunet and Caro. I can find it on VHS, but I would love to have it in it's OAR on DVD. It's a great double bill with Jeunet's City of Lost Children.

 

[Jarrod Ferris]

I was just going to mention Delicatessan. Instead I'll offer Le Samourai.

 

[SteveGon]

You can add Zhang Yimou's Red Sorghum to the list.

I'm also waiting on Un coeur en hiver (A Heart in Winter), Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings of the World), and Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), among many others.

I also want to note that several Andrzej Wajda films are hitting DVD soon: Man of Marble, Kanal, and Ashes and Diamonds. I'm not sure why A Generation isn't being released with the latter two films.

 

[Marc Colella]

Good calls on Delicatessan and The Conformist.

Can't believe I forgot about those two. Wonderul films that deserve stellar treatment.

 

[Pascal A]

Onibaba is available as a region 2 import from Japan. It's an excellent widescreen print ( 16x9 enhanced ) and it features english subtitles.

Actually, several of Kaneto Shindo's works are available in Japan with English subs, and are all excellent image quality. I have Children of Hiroshima, Kenji Mizoguchi: Life of a Film Director, The Strange Tale of Oyuki, Rakuyoju, and A Last Note as well from there, and are all must-haves in my book if you're a Shindo admirer. Will to Live is also available, supposedly with English subs, but I haven't picked it up yet. From Spain, you can also pick up his Naked Island and it's a very nice looking print. The film is wordless, so no subs required.

Speaking of Spain, several of Mikio Naruse's films are also available from there, but only with Spanish subs. I have Floating Clouds, Scattered Clouds (his last film), Okasan, and Sound of the Mountain, all decent quality. Ginza Cosmetics is available in Japan, but no subtitles.

Lastly, I'd argue that Theo Angelopoulos' films should not be viewed on home video, least of all, Voyage to Cythera.

 

[Juan M. Rico]

You can order Delicatessen from koreandvds.com.

As long as you speak French, since there are no English subtitles.

J

 

[Bob Graham]

I'd like Louis Malle's Lacombe, Lucien about a bully in a small french town who sides with the Nazis during the occupation. Great film, but it seems to have dissappeared (along with Black Moon, his first english language film)

 

[Seth--L]

Add Godard's Weekend.

 

[Dick]

I would add to my own list the following:
THE VIRGIN SPRING (Criterion??)
UN CHIEN ANDALOU
FABULOUS WORLD OF JULES VERNE (Is there a Czech version
available anywhere?)
SWORD AND THE DRAGON (Uncut Widescreen Russian edition
would be great!)
FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS - Uncut subtitled edition)
LE JOUR SE LEVE
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND (British, with Hayley Mills)
MURMUR OF THE HEART / AU REVOIRS LES ENFANTS (both Malle)

 

[Lloyd White]

Anybody know any websites that keep track of foreign films (mainly asian) that are released on DVD cut up and censored? This is very important as I do not want to support companies and movies that I may buy if they are cut up and censored for no reason at all (and there's no reason to censor anything).